Disclaimers: I do NOT own most of these characters. I DO, however, own
Rebecca Robinson and any other character you DO NOT recognize. I would also
like to thank you in advance to reading and reviewing. Please let me know
how this story is working out.
. Warning: There is slight descriptions of incest rape in this part.. please skip over that part if you do not feel comfortable reading it.. .
RWH
.
THREE
Five days later *
Rebecca sat in her room working on her homework, well, trying to work on her homework. The problem was that her mind continued to wander hopelessly. She continued to stare blankly down at her Arithmancy papers. The numbers and signs making no leeway into her brain at all. So much was on her mind and she couldn't concentrate on the words flashing across the pages. They were a complete blur and she closed her eyes against the fuzziness. It was no use. She couldn't concentrate with this roaring in her head.
Her headaches continued to plague her since her arrival back at school. The traumas she had been inflicted with over the summer seemed to linger on and refused to go away completely. As it was, she still couldn't sit still for too long. Dull pains ached throughout her arms and her legs from the newly mended bones. Poppy had told her that the aching would disappear after the first day, but she still felt them, ghostly aches and pains that stayed more in her memory than in her actual bones.
Most of her ailments have been cared for and healed except for one. Poppy was able to heal the rips and tears inside of her, but her memory couldn't be healed, couldn't be altered without serious side effects. The horrible images invaded her dreams nightly as she slept, trying to find peace in her sleep was becoming a delusional dream. Now she preferred to sit at her window and watch the night pass by rather than trying to sleep. She felt that she couldn't sleep, couldn't be subjected to those dreams anymore no matter what. That was probably the cause of her headaches. Her body was demanding rest.. but she was afraid to sleep, afraid to face the memories another day. Even now, she still could feel the pain and the pressure of her father inside her. The pain he inflicted on her intentionally, trying his best to control her, to command her, to make her bend to his will.
She did.. eventually.
Madame Pomfrey gave her a vial containing a dark umber colored brew, thick and vile looking, that first day she was back and to her horror she had bled profusely for the following three days. At first, she was scared of the heavy bleeding but then she realized what the brew was meant to be for, It was cleansing her body of unwanted contamination. She shuddered at that thought but shook her head; she didn't want to think too much about that.
She rubbed her forehead and sighed, her headaches were getting worse. Madame Pomfrey had told her earlier that she needed a potion to counterbalance the constant pain, unfortunately she was out of the particular potion and Professor Snape had not yet returned from wherever he had disappeared to. Without him to brew it, she would have to live with the headaches or get some actual sleep.
Again, her mind wandered back to Snape.
When she left the infirmary a full day after Snape had taken her there, she found herself down at his classroom door fully expecting to find him among his cauldrons and ingredients. She only wanted to say thank you to him for taking her to see Poppy. When she opened the door to the classroom, instead of seeing the Professor, the dungeon was empty, cold and lifeless. The chilly air brought a shudder to her bones as she closed the door and made her way back to her rooms. Her mind already worrying over him and wondering where he had went. He was always in his laboratory. This was most unusual.
It got even more unusual.
During dinner that evening, Headmaster Dumbledore informed all students that, since Professor Snape has not returned to Hogwart's, his potion's class had been postponed. They all would have a free two hours for any outdoor activity that they found acceptable at least until the potion's master returned. A deafening roar of cheers rose from the students at the news. No one questioned where he was or seemed to care.
No student cared but Rebecca. She watched as the Headmaster resumed his seat and glanced around at the anxious looks of the other professors at the head table. Something was wrong, dreadfully wrong. She was suddenly scared for him for some unconceivable reason, where was he and why wasn't he here?
Her memories were interrupted as she finally looked up from her homework. A constant and insistent sound of scraping reached her ears and found her attention. Melisa, one of Becca's two roommates, dropped her own homework and ran over to the window where she threw open the sash allowing the cool fall air to rush in. To both of their surprise, an ebony raven flew in, wings beating in a mad fury.
Rebecca watched as it swooped across the ceiling looking for the one it was sent to seek out. She gasped as its dark eyes located her and it back- winged to perch on the back of her chair. Its dark eyes stared into hers as it dropped a parchment from its beak into her open hand.
"Uh... Th... Thank you."
"WELCOME!" The bird croaked out and sat patiently watching her.
She stared at the bird for a moment wondering if she was imagining it. It was like it understood what she was saying. She knew some birds could talk but to actually reply politely to another person.that was incredible. She continued to eye the impressive bird as she unraveled the parchment it brought. Having the bird in her room was odd in itself, since she didn't own one, or any familiar for that matter. Her parents refused to get her anything living. They didn't care if she couldn't write them and she never expected any correspondence from them. Not that she cared, not really. The bird cawed again, startling her out of her musing and let her eyes fall to the parchment, her mouth fell open from what she read.
Miss. Robinson,
It is my duty to regretfully inform you that your parents have met with an untimely circumstance. I am sad to say that they did not survive the encounter. I am equally regretful to inform you of such tragedy in this manner, however it is unavoidable. Your presence is requested in the Headmaster's office at your earliest convenience. There are circumstances need to be attended to.
Arrangements have been sorted out for your continued stay at Hogwart's.
Regretfully
Prof. S. Snape
She sighed in relief to see the potion master's signature. He was all right. Thank the Gods, he had returned safely. She didn't realize how worried she was in his absence but she had been more so than she thought she would be. She just wanted to know that Snape was all right. Not that she would tell others about her worry. They would just think she was nuts. Maybe she was, but she didn't see Professor Snape as they did. She knew absolute evil, lived with it daily when she was away from Hogwart's. The Professor wasn't evil. She knew that Professor Snape cared, deep down where it counts. This note somehow proved it to her.
"Who's it from?" Melisa asked trying to get a look and she passed it over.
"Professor Snape.."
Her roommate read the note and hugged her friend tightly.
"Oh, you must feel horrible.. your parents.. this is awful.."
Rebecca simply shrugged and retrieved the parchment which she re-read and then rose to her feet stuffing it inside of her cloak. She should feel bad about her parent's deaths, but she couldn't. They had hurt and betrayed her all of her young life and she just couldn't muster up the grief. They didn't deserve grief, least of all, from her.
She reached for some peanuts and gave the sleek black bird a couple before it set off back to Professor Snape. It's dark eyes shining with intelligence. Ravens were brilliant creatures. She had read that somewhere. It would only be prudent for the brilliant potion professor to have such a bird.
"GOODBYE!" It croaked as it flew out of the window.
"I'll be back later, Melisa.. I have to go to the Headmaster's office. Professor Snape will no doubt tell me what happened."
She saw Melisa's face mask up in a grimace but she nodded just the same as her friend walked out.
Arrangements have been sorted out for you continued stay at Hogwart's.
She wondered what that meant as she left her dorm and headed to see the Headmaster. Wandering the halls at this time of night wasn't a soothing stroll in most cases, especially in the evening. The flicking torches sent frightfully scary images on the walls and floors. She kept her eyes on the floor as she walked purposely ignoring the dancing shadows. They reminded her of too much, too much that she would prefer to forget.
Fear and interpretation surged through her blood as she stopped at a gargoyle statue. She knew that Professor Dumbledore had an office somewhere along here but she had no idea how to get in or how to find it. She paused and tilted her head to the side in contemplation, trying to figure out what to do now. She would obviously have to go find a professor to help her, surely Professor McGonagall would be in her office and it wasn't too far from here. She was just going to turn back around when she felt a hand on her shoulder causing her to jump and a shriek jerked from her throat.
"Good evening, Miss. Robinson. . I do apologize for frightening you."
She looked up into the dark eyes of Severus Snape before allowing her own to close, willing her heartbeat to return back to normal.
"I.. uh. . that's okay.. my heart will recover."
He chuckled and her eyes flew up to look at him in surprise at the odd sound coming from him.
"I do believe the Headmaster is waiting just inside."
She turned and looked up into the potion master's eyes again. They seemed different somehow, almost regretful. She nodded and waited while he spoke a password and to her surprise, she watched the gargoyle statue move to the side and Professor Snape indicated for her to enter.
She stood silently and very still as the steps rose, circled into the air, reaching out unconsciously to balance herself on his arm. His hand moved to her shoulder to steady her and she smiled gratefully at him.
He nodded down at her as the steps stopped and she was staring into the deep blue eyes of her headmaster.
"Ah, Miss. Robinson. This is a very distressing meeting for you I am sure. Please take a seat." He gave her a small smile and held out a bowl of red candies. "Candied Cherries?"
She shook her head looking between the two.
"What.. happened?"
Dumbledore gave Snape a look and motioned him to take over. Severus moved to stand before the desk and turned to address her. His voice low and there was a slight tremor that she could hear, but his eyes were flashing. He spoke slowly watching her for any reactions as he spoke.
"Your parents decided to take a trip at the wrong time. It was a very stormy night and they plummeted down a rocky terrain in outer Romania unfortunately they weren't prepared for that kind of.. adventure. They didn't have their wands with them for some reason.. I wish I could say that is was fast, but they did.. suffer.." He let that sink in remembering how they called out to him for help. "They will.. never.. harm you.. ever.. again."
She looked up at him with damp eyes.
"Did you.."
He looked away at her unspoken question. He failed to mention that he had managed to put the idea of the vacation into her parent's minds and removed the barriers that blocked the rocky terrain's edge.. he didn't actually kill them, but he helped them on their way with a little push.
"I didn't kill them.. but I didn't help them. . either."
She bit her lips and nodded.
"But you.. went there.."
He returned her gaze then and nodded.
"I did intend to kill them, for what they have done to you, but.. as it turned out, I didn't have to." He spoke honestly as he watched her for any reactions.
She let all the information sink into her muddled head. No more parents to beat and abuse her. No more terrified nights huddled in her closet hoping that they would forget all about her and just leave her alone. The prospect of being able to live her life without the worry of pain and suffering or the constant thought of 'what did I do this time?'
She reached up and wiped a tear from her face, took a deep breath and stood to her feet. Professors' Snape and Dumbledore watched her every move worried about what she would do or say. She looked up at both men and advanced on the Potions Master, wrapping her small arms around his waist in a tight embrace.
Her savior. . her salvation.
"Thank you."
He stiffened a bit at the intimate contact before she felt his arms go around her shoulder and he returned her hug, if not stiffly. A moment later he cleared his throat and moved away from her tiny frame.
"Now.. about your.. continued stay.." Dumbledore's voice interrupted and both turned back to him, his eyes narrowed in thought as he watched the man and child before him. "You will be able to stay here and complete your studies, Professor Snape has volunteered to take over certain duties in your continued care and development. However, it has been decided that you will be moved into the dungeons in order for Severus to fulfill said duties. We feel that keeping you in the Ravenclaw's housing at this time would be very difficult for you. Severus has already prepared you a room and has taken it upon himself to change a few of your classes. Of course, he has given up a lot of his valuable time to take over your physical and emotional needs. I hope the arrangements will work to the satisfaction of you both." Dumbledore sat back and looked at the man and child. "I do want to be kept informed in the future of any.. problems.. that may arise."
Severus merely nodded and held out a hand to the girl. "Of course, Headmaster." The taller man glanced down at the child's bright eyes causing another rare smile to form on his lips. "Come, I will show you where you will be sleeping, your things have already been brought down."
She gave the headmaster a timid smile and took Snape's hand. In the end, she never realized that her headache stopped when she learned of the death of her parents.
"Yes sir."
. . A/N's and Acknowledgements:
This chapter was a little longer than I originally wrote it. I hope it didn't bore you all to death. I just couldn't get it to jive. Oh well, I did my best. I hope you enjoyed it otherwise.
Arashi: Thank you for reading and reviewing. I don't think this story is "amazing".but I do thank you for your comment. I love writing these things and comments like yours keeps me wanting to. Please keep reading. Severus does indeed have blood in his body, but now we can see some compassionate skills that he rarely shows.
Arsinoe: I didn't want to do a normal romance. I wanted something just a bit different. I hope I'm hitting the mark. As for her parents, I hope I just answered that question with this part.. LOL
PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW.. I'M BEGGIN YA'
. Warning: There is slight descriptions of incest rape in this part.. please skip over that part if you do not feel comfortable reading it.. .
RWH
.
THREE
Five days later *
Rebecca sat in her room working on her homework, well, trying to work on her homework. The problem was that her mind continued to wander hopelessly. She continued to stare blankly down at her Arithmancy papers. The numbers and signs making no leeway into her brain at all. So much was on her mind and she couldn't concentrate on the words flashing across the pages. They were a complete blur and she closed her eyes against the fuzziness. It was no use. She couldn't concentrate with this roaring in her head.
Her headaches continued to plague her since her arrival back at school. The traumas she had been inflicted with over the summer seemed to linger on and refused to go away completely. As it was, she still couldn't sit still for too long. Dull pains ached throughout her arms and her legs from the newly mended bones. Poppy had told her that the aching would disappear after the first day, but she still felt them, ghostly aches and pains that stayed more in her memory than in her actual bones.
Most of her ailments have been cared for and healed except for one. Poppy was able to heal the rips and tears inside of her, but her memory couldn't be healed, couldn't be altered without serious side effects. The horrible images invaded her dreams nightly as she slept, trying to find peace in her sleep was becoming a delusional dream. Now she preferred to sit at her window and watch the night pass by rather than trying to sleep. She felt that she couldn't sleep, couldn't be subjected to those dreams anymore no matter what. That was probably the cause of her headaches. Her body was demanding rest.. but she was afraid to sleep, afraid to face the memories another day. Even now, she still could feel the pain and the pressure of her father inside her. The pain he inflicted on her intentionally, trying his best to control her, to command her, to make her bend to his will.
She did.. eventually.
Madame Pomfrey gave her a vial containing a dark umber colored brew, thick and vile looking, that first day she was back and to her horror she had bled profusely for the following three days. At first, she was scared of the heavy bleeding but then she realized what the brew was meant to be for, It was cleansing her body of unwanted contamination. She shuddered at that thought but shook her head; she didn't want to think too much about that.
She rubbed her forehead and sighed, her headaches were getting worse. Madame Pomfrey had told her earlier that she needed a potion to counterbalance the constant pain, unfortunately she was out of the particular potion and Professor Snape had not yet returned from wherever he had disappeared to. Without him to brew it, she would have to live with the headaches or get some actual sleep.
Again, her mind wandered back to Snape.
When she left the infirmary a full day after Snape had taken her there, she found herself down at his classroom door fully expecting to find him among his cauldrons and ingredients. She only wanted to say thank you to him for taking her to see Poppy. When she opened the door to the classroom, instead of seeing the Professor, the dungeon was empty, cold and lifeless. The chilly air brought a shudder to her bones as she closed the door and made her way back to her rooms. Her mind already worrying over him and wondering where he had went. He was always in his laboratory. This was most unusual.
It got even more unusual.
During dinner that evening, Headmaster Dumbledore informed all students that, since Professor Snape has not returned to Hogwart's, his potion's class had been postponed. They all would have a free two hours for any outdoor activity that they found acceptable at least until the potion's master returned. A deafening roar of cheers rose from the students at the news. No one questioned where he was or seemed to care.
No student cared but Rebecca. She watched as the Headmaster resumed his seat and glanced around at the anxious looks of the other professors at the head table. Something was wrong, dreadfully wrong. She was suddenly scared for him for some unconceivable reason, where was he and why wasn't he here?
Her memories were interrupted as she finally looked up from her homework. A constant and insistent sound of scraping reached her ears and found her attention. Melisa, one of Becca's two roommates, dropped her own homework and ran over to the window where she threw open the sash allowing the cool fall air to rush in. To both of their surprise, an ebony raven flew in, wings beating in a mad fury.
Rebecca watched as it swooped across the ceiling looking for the one it was sent to seek out. She gasped as its dark eyes located her and it back- winged to perch on the back of her chair. Its dark eyes stared into hers as it dropped a parchment from its beak into her open hand.
"Uh... Th... Thank you."
"WELCOME!" The bird croaked out and sat patiently watching her.
She stared at the bird for a moment wondering if she was imagining it. It was like it understood what she was saying. She knew some birds could talk but to actually reply politely to another person.that was incredible. She continued to eye the impressive bird as she unraveled the parchment it brought. Having the bird in her room was odd in itself, since she didn't own one, or any familiar for that matter. Her parents refused to get her anything living. They didn't care if she couldn't write them and she never expected any correspondence from them. Not that she cared, not really. The bird cawed again, startling her out of her musing and let her eyes fall to the parchment, her mouth fell open from what she read.
Miss. Robinson,
It is my duty to regretfully inform you that your parents have met with an untimely circumstance. I am sad to say that they did not survive the encounter. I am equally regretful to inform you of such tragedy in this manner, however it is unavoidable. Your presence is requested in the Headmaster's office at your earliest convenience. There are circumstances need to be attended to.
Arrangements have been sorted out for your continued stay at Hogwart's.
Regretfully
Prof. S. Snape
She sighed in relief to see the potion master's signature. He was all right. Thank the Gods, he had returned safely. She didn't realize how worried she was in his absence but she had been more so than she thought she would be. She just wanted to know that Snape was all right. Not that she would tell others about her worry. They would just think she was nuts. Maybe she was, but she didn't see Professor Snape as they did. She knew absolute evil, lived with it daily when she was away from Hogwart's. The Professor wasn't evil. She knew that Professor Snape cared, deep down where it counts. This note somehow proved it to her.
"Who's it from?" Melisa asked trying to get a look and she passed it over.
"Professor Snape.."
Her roommate read the note and hugged her friend tightly.
"Oh, you must feel horrible.. your parents.. this is awful.."
Rebecca simply shrugged and retrieved the parchment which she re-read and then rose to her feet stuffing it inside of her cloak. She should feel bad about her parent's deaths, but she couldn't. They had hurt and betrayed her all of her young life and she just couldn't muster up the grief. They didn't deserve grief, least of all, from her.
She reached for some peanuts and gave the sleek black bird a couple before it set off back to Professor Snape. It's dark eyes shining with intelligence. Ravens were brilliant creatures. She had read that somewhere. It would only be prudent for the brilliant potion professor to have such a bird.
"GOODBYE!" It croaked as it flew out of the window.
"I'll be back later, Melisa.. I have to go to the Headmaster's office. Professor Snape will no doubt tell me what happened."
She saw Melisa's face mask up in a grimace but she nodded just the same as her friend walked out.
Arrangements have been sorted out for you continued stay at Hogwart's.
She wondered what that meant as she left her dorm and headed to see the Headmaster. Wandering the halls at this time of night wasn't a soothing stroll in most cases, especially in the evening. The flicking torches sent frightfully scary images on the walls and floors. She kept her eyes on the floor as she walked purposely ignoring the dancing shadows. They reminded her of too much, too much that she would prefer to forget.
Fear and interpretation surged through her blood as she stopped at a gargoyle statue. She knew that Professor Dumbledore had an office somewhere along here but she had no idea how to get in or how to find it. She paused and tilted her head to the side in contemplation, trying to figure out what to do now. She would obviously have to go find a professor to help her, surely Professor McGonagall would be in her office and it wasn't too far from here. She was just going to turn back around when she felt a hand on her shoulder causing her to jump and a shriek jerked from her throat.
"Good evening, Miss. Robinson. . I do apologize for frightening you."
She looked up into the dark eyes of Severus Snape before allowing her own to close, willing her heartbeat to return back to normal.
"I.. uh. . that's okay.. my heart will recover."
He chuckled and her eyes flew up to look at him in surprise at the odd sound coming from him.
"I do believe the Headmaster is waiting just inside."
She turned and looked up into the potion master's eyes again. They seemed different somehow, almost regretful. She nodded and waited while he spoke a password and to her surprise, she watched the gargoyle statue move to the side and Professor Snape indicated for her to enter.
She stood silently and very still as the steps rose, circled into the air, reaching out unconsciously to balance herself on his arm. His hand moved to her shoulder to steady her and she smiled gratefully at him.
He nodded down at her as the steps stopped and she was staring into the deep blue eyes of her headmaster.
"Ah, Miss. Robinson. This is a very distressing meeting for you I am sure. Please take a seat." He gave her a small smile and held out a bowl of red candies. "Candied Cherries?"
She shook her head looking between the two.
"What.. happened?"
Dumbledore gave Snape a look and motioned him to take over. Severus moved to stand before the desk and turned to address her. His voice low and there was a slight tremor that she could hear, but his eyes were flashing. He spoke slowly watching her for any reactions as he spoke.
"Your parents decided to take a trip at the wrong time. It was a very stormy night and they plummeted down a rocky terrain in outer Romania unfortunately they weren't prepared for that kind of.. adventure. They didn't have their wands with them for some reason.. I wish I could say that is was fast, but they did.. suffer.." He let that sink in remembering how they called out to him for help. "They will.. never.. harm you.. ever.. again."
She looked up at him with damp eyes.
"Did you.."
He looked away at her unspoken question. He failed to mention that he had managed to put the idea of the vacation into her parent's minds and removed the barriers that blocked the rocky terrain's edge.. he didn't actually kill them, but he helped them on their way with a little push.
"I didn't kill them.. but I didn't help them. . either."
She bit her lips and nodded.
"But you.. went there.."
He returned her gaze then and nodded.
"I did intend to kill them, for what they have done to you, but.. as it turned out, I didn't have to." He spoke honestly as he watched her for any reactions.
She let all the information sink into her muddled head. No more parents to beat and abuse her. No more terrified nights huddled in her closet hoping that they would forget all about her and just leave her alone. The prospect of being able to live her life without the worry of pain and suffering or the constant thought of 'what did I do this time?'
She reached up and wiped a tear from her face, took a deep breath and stood to her feet. Professors' Snape and Dumbledore watched her every move worried about what she would do or say. She looked up at both men and advanced on the Potions Master, wrapping her small arms around his waist in a tight embrace.
Her savior. . her salvation.
"Thank you."
He stiffened a bit at the intimate contact before she felt his arms go around her shoulder and he returned her hug, if not stiffly. A moment later he cleared his throat and moved away from her tiny frame.
"Now.. about your.. continued stay.." Dumbledore's voice interrupted and both turned back to him, his eyes narrowed in thought as he watched the man and child before him. "You will be able to stay here and complete your studies, Professor Snape has volunteered to take over certain duties in your continued care and development. However, it has been decided that you will be moved into the dungeons in order for Severus to fulfill said duties. We feel that keeping you in the Ravenclaw's housing at this time would be very difficult for you. Severus has already prepared you a room and has taken it upon himself to change a few of your classes. Of course, he has given up a lot of his valuable time to take over your physical and emotional needs. I hope the arrangements will work to the satisfaction of you both." Dumbledore sat back and looked at the man and child. "I do want to be kept informed in the future of any.. problems.. that may arise."
Severus merely nodded and held out a hand to the girl. "Of course, Headmaster." The taller man glanced down at the child's bright eyes causing another rare smile to form on his lips. "Come, I will show you where you will be sleeping, your things have already been brought down."
She gave the headmaster a timid smile and took Snape's hand. In the end, she never realized that her headache stopped when she learned of the death of her parents.
"Yes sir."
. . A/N's and Acknowledgements:
This chapter was a little longer than I originally wrote it. I hope it didn't bore you all to death. I just couldn't get it to jive. Oh well, I did my best. I hope you enjoyed it otherwise.
Arashi: Thank you for reading and reviewing. I don't think this story is "amazing".but I do thank you for your comment. I love writing these things and comments like yours keeps me wanting to. Please keep reading. Severus does indeed have blood in his body, but now we can see some compassionate skills that he rarely shows.
Arsinoe: I didn't want to do a normal romance. I wanted something just a bit different. I hope I'm hitting the mark. As for her parents, I hope I just answered that question with this part.. LOL
PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW.. I'M BEGGIN YA'
